An alternative ending
by carroti
Summary: *SPOILERS* This story is an alternative ending that starts after they were to late to retrive Sasuke after his battle with Itachi.
1. Chapter 1

The woods were quiet and peaceful when the group slowly walked, on their way home

The woods were quiet and peaceful when the group slowly walked, on their way home. No one talked, as they walked in an almost unbearable silence. A big, white dog in the group suddenly barked. The boy who was riding on the dog sighed, relieved. He had brown hair and red arrows underneath his eyes

"Akamaru says we're almost back in Konoha!" A pink haired girl in the group looked at the boy and tried to smile. Her green eyes were full of sadness and the unshed tears glittered in the dim sunlight.

"That's good Kiba." Kiba smiled back at her, feeling strangely melancholy, after all this was the way she had been when _he_ left. He sighed and turned his attention forward.

"Sakura, it's too quiet! Hinata, Shino, Sai, Yamato-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, even Naruto is silent!" Kiba was really anxious over the fact that the entire group was extremely quiet and gloomy. The pink haired girl looked over at the blond boy walking ahead of her. He had blue eyes and whisker tattoos in his cheeks. He was walking with his hands in his orange pockets and he was looking into the ground.

"Is he really okay?" She sounded really worried and Kiba looked at her and smiled, even though the smile was faked.

"I'm sure he's alright! He might be sad right now, but he'll be normal in no time!" Sakura looked at him at smiled sadly. He could see she was on the verge of tears, worrying about the teammate who stayed, and the one who left.

"I hope so…" Akamaru barked again and she looked forward. They were right at the gates of Konoha. The giant, green wall looked so familiar, but somehow she wished the situation was different. Not like this. She looked Naruto with a worried look. She could see he was falling apart inside, and she didn't like it. She walked towards him.

"Hey, Naruto! Do you want to go and eat some ramen?" Naruto looked up at her and tried to smile, but failed greatly. The raw pain shone out from his blue eyes and his face was twisted in a grimace that only made him look even sadder.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, but I'm not in the mood." She winced at the emotions in his voice that he was trying to conceal. She nodded slowly and went a little ahead of him through the gates and into Konoha, trying to swallow the big lump in her throat and holding back the tears that were trying to flood over from her eyes.

--

The Hokage greeted them with a serious look on her face. Her desk was a complete mess and she didn't even conceal the sake bottle. Sakura looked at Naruto, but saw him looking down on the ground. She sighed and pushed away all the emotions she was feeling and became the hokage's disciple, not a teenage girl who was torn inside. She turned towards Tsunade and put a little smile on her face. She knew her fake smile would work and tried to think of happy things to make it even more real. After all, ninjas weren't supposed to cry or feel sadness.

"We're back shishou!" Her voice was stable and she pushed back the little crack that was close to be heard. Tsunade looked at her with an emotionless look. She didn't have a clue how Sakura felt right now, since she had become a pro in hiding her emotions. She cleared her throat and spoke:

"Sakura, we need you at the hospital as fast as possible!" She regretted the words as soon as they had left her mouth. She knew that Sakura would be emotionally upset, but the hospital was short on staff and she couldn't afford to have Sakura depressed right now. Sakura looked at her with an empty look. The emotions were tightly sealed now and all that remained was a vacuum that couldn't be filled.

"…I understand. I'll go there right now…" Her voice was indifferent, as if she weren't really living in the first place. Tsunade winced inwardly at her tone, but had to compose herself. She was the hokage for god's sake. If anyone had to be calm and collected, it had to be her. She nodded towards Sakura and turned towards the rest of the group.

"Everyone except Kakashi and Yamato are dismissed!" Everyone nodded and disappeared from the room. Tsunade looked Kakashi in the eye. She could see he was worried about Sakura as well. Maybe it was time for them to discuss hers and Naruto's mental conditions.

"Tell me about the mission…"

--

Sakura pushed the key into the lock and opened the plain, white door to her apartment. She was met by a cold and empty hall. She hadn't had the chance to get some furniture or ornaments since she moved here. She had been to busy working herself out in the hospital, to forget _him_. She walked through the hall, straight into her bedroom and changed into a fresh pair of clothes. They looked exactly as the ones she had before, a sleeveless red top, a skirt with slits, and a pair of black leggings. She wrapped some bandages around her leg and put on her long, black boots.

She walked out slowly from the room, but stopped when she saw the only decoration she had in her entire apartment. It was a photograph. The two boys were glaring at each other in a competitive manner, while the girl in the middle smiled, just happy to be there. She could feel the seal around her emotions loosen up, and quickly looked away from the picture. She put her hand on the wooden frame and closed her eyes. Her hand moved very slowly as it pushed the front of the photograph towards the white table it stood on. She opened her eyes and looked at it with empty eyes. Then she turned around and walked out through the door, carefully closing it behind her.

The hospital was bustling, full of noises. But she didn't really care anymore; she was used to all the noises. In the beginning she had been scared of working at there, but now she was a veteran and nothing really mattered to her anymore. One of the nurses walked towards her and looked her in the eye.

"Haruno senpai, you are needed in the emergency room. There are a couple of ninjas that has been poisoned, and we need you to remove it." Sakura met her gaze, and the younger nurse felt herself shrink under the cold and emotionless look from one of the strongest medic nins in the village.

"Which number?" The young nurse swallowed and cleared her throat.

"N…N… Number 1." She stammered and looked almost terrified. Sakura merely turned around and walking towards the emergency rooms, she didn't even spare a glance to the terrified young nurse. Once she had been happy and smiled towards anyone who talked to her. But that time was way past now. She saw _him_ in every person she talked to and it hurt so much. It felt as if someone were digging a hole in her chest, piercing her heart.

--

The rain was pouring down when she was done at the hospital. She hadn't brought an umbrella and just couldn't be bothered being wet, so she took a step out from the protective roof and felt it pierce down at her. She started walking slowly savouring every minute of the numb feeling that was spreading in her body. Her feet started steering her away from her apartment, and past the training grounds, ninja academy and finally the gates. She let the memories flood into her and tried to remember _his_ face but she couldn't. It was still to painful to remember.

The gates were still open and the two ninjas in the boot looked at her with curious gazes, wondering what she was doing there. She didn't spare them a glance, but walked out through the gates, looking dead. The guards were used to her going out of the village for other things than missions. After all she liked taking walks in the woods; it was a way of forgetting the coldness that had her heart in a tight grip.

The rain was still falling but a little less than before. She was wet into the core, but she didn't shiver or even think about going home and getting warm. She liked it this way, being alone and feeling something other than sadness. Suddenly a shuriken flew out of nowhere and scratched her arm. She looked at the wound, and saw the small rivulet of blood running down her arm, feeling the dull pain. Suddenly a group of persons appeared in front of her and her eyes lit up in recognition. Now, all she could hear was her heart, pounding in her ears. Her face looked human and alive as she stared at the one person in the world that could make her whole.

She saw _him_.

_This is my first story so please be nice to me I would love constructive critics', but no flames please. I hope you enjoyed it _

_For some reason the first line is repeating… I hope that you can ignore it for now, I don't know what to do…I'm not exactly a technical genius xD_


	2. Chapter 2

Suddenly a group of persons appeared in front of her and her eyes lit up in recognition

**Suddenly a group of persons appeared in front of her and her eyes lit up in recognition. Now all she could hear was her heart, pounding in her ears. Her face looked human and alive as she stared at the one person in the world that could make her whole.**

**She saw**_** him**_**.**

**--'--**

_He _looked almost the same as when she last saw him. _His_ blue black hair was still cut in the same way; _his_ eyes were still as black as a hole that was sucking her in. _He_ was taller though and wore an akatsuki cloak. She looked at _his_ face, suddenly remembering every single detail as she looked to se if they were still there. _He_ looked so real, almost like the picture she had at home, only taller. She could feel the seal around her emotions loosen up a bit, but she did no attempt of pushing it back. She just stood there and stared, feeling the rain fall on her. She could feel the tears fill her emerald eyes, and she tried to push them back.

_He _looked at her with an empty gaze, as if she didn't exist. _He_ could almost feel the emotions in her swirl around, but _he_ didn't show it. _He_ was surprised that _he_ met her here and somehow… sad… _He_ hadn't felt that for someone else than his family for a long time… _He_ knew _he_ had to kill her and for some reason it felt… wrong… _He _had been training his body and mind so hard for so long that _his_ emotions were clogged up. But now that _he_ saw her, everything swirled up, in a similar way to her emotions. And then she spoke.

--

"…Sasuke… kun… what are you doing… here…?" Her voice was shaking, but she didn't care, all she thought about was him. He looked at her with an emotionless gaze.

"That's none of your business, Sakura." She flinched inwardly at his voice, how many times hadn't she dreamed of hearing it again. But then her gaze hardened. A feeling she hadn't felt in a long time suddenly welled up inside of her; Rage. She took a few angry strides towards him and met his gaze steadily. Her pain was as good as gone, and she was pissed off.

"What the hell do you mean with that? Of course it's my bloody business, Uchiha!" She didn't care what she said to the man in front of her, as long as she got a reaction. And she did get one. He flinched visibly when she called him Uchiha, and his look darkened. He took a step forward. They were so close now that they were almost touching. He leaned slightly forward.

"And what would make you think that what I do have anything to do with you… Sa Ku Ra?" She shivered when he pronounced her name slowly, but she pulled herself together and pushed back her emotions once again.

"Do you think I'm an idiot? I didn't spend these three years doing nothing. I have gone through every single file in the hokage's archive." She sighed and looked up into his cold eyes. "I've researched you and your family a lot and I know what's going on. Probably better than you do yourself." He looked at her, confused. She sighed again, '_and this guy's supposed to be a genius…'_

"I know the truth about Itachi" She stated simply. He didn't react to her words and she sighed yet again. "And I know that you're probably here to destroy the village for Madara over there" She pointed towards a guy with a swirling mask and black, fuzzy hair. She looked into the hole in the mask, and suddenly a sharingan blazed up. She flinched inwardly when she saw the red eye shine, it sent shivers down her spine, but she swallowed and continued meeting his gaze.

"Interesting" he mused." How did you know I was Madara?" She snorted and her eyes narrowed a bit.

"Again, do you really think I'm an idiot? You showed us your sharingan before, remember? I didn't need to be a genius to figure it out." She could feel him smirk under the mask, and she felt very uncomfortable when he started looking at her down and up, trying to find any weaknesses, but she wouldn't let him. She turned towards Sasuke, and her eyes softened a bit when she looked at his blank face. She smiled sadly.

"You're still a fool." His eyes narrowed and he looked at her with an icy gaze. She felt herself get frozen, but she tried not to think about it.

"Don't pretend you know me and know how I feel, because you don't!" She flinched visibly at those words and looked down at the ground. Those words hurt so much. She knew that the words he said to her three years were true, but not anymore. She knew the pain he felt very well, too well.

"You shouldn't attack Konoha; revenge won't do you any good!" Her voice was quieter, but her tone sounded like it could cut through steel. He looked at her as if she was some kind of insignificant bug in his path.

"I'm an avenger Sakura. Revenge is all that…"

"Well did it help when you killed your brother?!" She was shouting now, as she looked him in the eye. He was so close, and yet so far away. She wondered if she would ever be able to reach him. "Are you going to kill an entire village, just because some old geezer told you to?" Madara's eye narrowed slightly.

"…Old geezer…" He repeated, dumbstruck. Sasuke's face darkened.

"Konoha is responsible for my destiny. They have to repent it, and die!" Suddenly a lot of things happened. Sakura moved forward and slapped him, hard. His face forcefully turned to the left, and his chin turned red. One of the other persons, a guy with red hair moved and grabbed both of her arms, locking them behind her back. She tried to wriggle loose, but when she realised it was impossible she stopped, but she continued being tense waiting for a moment to slink out of his grasp. Sasuke turned his face back towards her, and his chin was turning purple/blue and it was swelling.

"Are you going to kill innocent people because it's your destiny? You've got to be kidding me!" She was screamed and she looked at him with a mixture of hatred and disappointment. "Don't take your hate out on others." Her voice was softer now. "Danzo and the village elders were the ones who issued the order to kill the Uchiha clan. Kill them and you have your revenge." He looked sceptically at her and raised his eyebrow, a whole 2 millimetres.

"Are you telling me who to kill? Doesn't that mean you're betraying the village?" She chuckled softly as she looked down into the ground.

"I'm already a traitor; they just haven't killed me yet." She smiled sadly as he felt the other persons grip slacken. She gracefully slinked out of it and backed a few steps. She lifted her eyes and met his gaze. Her eyes were so soft and sad that he almost flinched.

"I hope you're able to live without the burden of innocent lives on your shoulders." She turned around and walked away, feeling the tears rolling down on her cheeks. She knew this was probably the last time she would ever see him, and it hurt so much, but at the same time she was happy she had been able to meet him one last time. She smiled softly.

"You're a fool, Sasuke. If you could only see the ones who truly care for you…" And then she disappeared. He looked after her, into the distance and felt that his cheek was swelling up. The one with the red hair, Juugo, looked at him.

"Should we follow her, Sasuke?" He shook his head and turned towards his group.

"We have a change in plans."

--

She felt strange, as she walked home. It was something she hadn't felt in a really long time. It weren't sadness, or pain, or emptiness. It was happiness, and she felt somewhat…whole. She had forgotten how nice it felt, but now that she had it back, she felt warmth spread inside of her. She let a smile spread across her lips and it was real, not faked. The tears were still running from her eyes, but she really didn't care. She hadn't cried in 3 years, so this was all those tears collected. She watched the scenery around her, feeling at peace, for once. The pain that she had felt these 3 years had disappeared so quickly that it felt almost weird not to have it there. She felt that the tears were subduing, and dried them away with the back of her hand. She saw the gates, and sped up her pace.

When she reached them she saw no one guarding the gates anymore... She didn't know why but tensed and continued walking into the village, on guard. And that's when hell broke loose.

--

_The second chapter is done I hope you'll like it xD. I do hope the first line isn't repeating again, and if it is, please ignore it. Feel free to comment and help me make the next chapter better XD I would really appreciate it :P_


	3. Chapter 3

**When she reached them she saw no one guarding the gates anymore... She didn't know why but tensed and continued walking into the village, on guard. And that's when hell broke loose.**

**---**

Suddenly a multitude of explosions occurred at the same time. A lot of houses were on fire and civilians were suddenly running around her, trying to escape. She just stood there, speechless and chocked. They were invading the village, her home and were trying to eradicate it. She stood motionless and watched the chaos around her until a boy in an orange jumpsuit appeared in front of her.

"Sakura chan! We're in big trouble! The village is being invaded!" She looked at him with emotionless eyes, and suddenly it hit her how much energy he had now. The sad and tired boy he had been before she left was gone. She realised he was so protective of his village, that he would do anything to keep it out of harms way. But would he be able to kill his former friend, the one who lost everything and betrayed them? She took a deep breath and looked the boy in the eyes.

"Naruto" He looked at her, and flinched when he saw the coldness in her eyes. "Sasuke is the one attacking the village" He flinched when she said his name, and wondered when she had started to drop the suffix from his name.

"What do you mean Sakura chan?" He looked worried, as if he thought she had lost her mind. "You're joking right?" She merely continued to look at him with the same cold look, but something was different. Her eyes were no longer dead and emotionless, they were alive and burning with something he couldn't quite place. Anger or perhaps it was the horrible feeling of dread that was starting to spread in his stomach when he started to realise that her words were true. She put a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes, her look full of regret.

"It's not your fault…Naruto." He stared at her in blatant disbelief. The feelings she had missed for the last 3 years were suddenly coming back. She was alive, but for some reason her face scared him more than anything.

"I should've said this to you before and I'll regret this for the rest of my life, or at least the small part that's left of it." He flinched when he heard her words.

It was too much for him to take in at the same time. Everything was turning upside down. He couldn't hear the chaos around them anymore. It was as if time had stopped. She smiled at him, the genuine Sakura smile he had been missing so much. Not the fake ones she had been showing, this one was true.

"Whatever happens to me, I want you to promise not to interfere." He was still staring at her, unable to look away from her face. It was sad and happy at the same time, and it felt as if he would never see her again.

"What do you mean?" Her smile faded and she lightly brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. A single tear rolled down her cheek and the pure sadness shone out from every part of her body. She bent towards him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. It was so soft that he barely felt it, but the light touch lingered on his skin. He could feel the tears start running from his eyes as well, even though he didn't know why. She moved her mouth until it was next to his ear. Then she told him the horrible secret about that fateful night. The night when the broken pieces of the mirror scattered on the ground, reflecting the truth. The fateful night the world broke for their best friend and most precious person.

---

She left him standing shocked in the middle of the chaos. The time bubble was gone and the panic around them flooded into their ears once again. He was frozen to the spot, staring at her, horrified. She saw Iruka coming running.

"Sakura we need you! They attacked the hospital and are killing the medic nins!" She nodded and then turned towards Naruto.

"I have to go now." The gentle look in her face made even Iruka take a few steps back, as to give them some privacy. Naruto's eyes were still unfocused, as she gave him a small smile. "Don't forget about your promise." She whispered, so softly only Naruto heard her. Then she disappeared, leaving him with tears running down his cheeks. They were running for his precious friends, who seemed to become miserable no matter what he did.

---

The hospital in front of her was in ruins. There were stone rubbles everywhere and the dead medics were lying all over the place. The ones that had survived had set up a tent as a provisory hospital. She walked into the tent and was horrified by the sight that met her. All of the medics were lying wounded, unable to treat themselves and the other ninjas that were pouring in. She clenched her hands and went to the one that was most injured, her close friend Shizune. The big gash on her stomach was poorly healed; it had only coagulated the blood. She bent down next to her and put her hands on her stomach. Shizune opened her eyes and looked woozily at her.

"…Sakura?" Her weak whisper made Sakura snap up her head from the wound and look into Shizune's eyes. She smiled weakly when she met Sakura's gaze. "You came." Sakura nodded and continued to look and heal the wound. The tears were burning in her eyes but she refused to let them flow. Shizune raised her hand and touched her cheek, softly brushing it with her fingertips. Then the light went out of her eyes as her hand slowly fell back on the ground. Sakura stopped her healing and let her tears run down her cheeks. She softly caressed Shizune's cheek and closed her blazed eyes. She stood up and went towards the other hurt medics. The sorrow was burning a hole in her chest, but she let it go for now. She could grief later, now she had to do everything in her power to save the village from its wretched fate.

She felt her chakra supply slowly diminish. All the hurt medics were healed, since most of them only had minor wounds, but no chakra. She had started to heal one of the many ninjas that were pouring into the tent. Since she was the only medic, not everyone could be saved and she saw some of them die while waiting for her to treat them. Her heart was in so much pain, but she pushed herself knowing that it was this Shizune had sacrificed herself for. The leaf village, Konoha. The tent flap was opened and someone stepped inside. Sakura looked up from the wound she was healing and was startled by the man standing in front of her. One of the elders, Homura Mitokado, was holding his hand over his stomach, since it was bleeding profusely. She took one look at the wound and knew she was going to collapse if she tried to heal it. And even if she did, he only had a 45 % chance to survive. She glanced around on the other patients in the room. Many of them would be able to survive if she healed them, but that required her consciousness. She turned back to the elder that was breathing heavily in front of her.

"Heal me!" He ordered. She looked at him with a disgusted look and continued to heal the person in front of her. His eyes narrowed and he took a step forward, though wincing in pain when he did so.

"Why aren't you answering me?" He screamed with a strained voice.

"I am not going to heal you." Sakura spoke in an indifferent tone, and didn't even look up from the patient she was helping. He stopped in his attempts to walk towards her.

"What do you mean?" He roared. "You're a medic; you're supposed to help people who are injured." She lifted her hand and looked into his strained eyes. Her eyes narrowed in disgust.

"I'm not healing you because I would collapse from chakra loss." She stood and walked towards him. "And even if I did, you don't even have a 50 % chance of surviving." He tried to back away, but he failed. She grabbed his collar and lifted his face closer to hers. "And even if I had enough chakra to heal you, I wouldn't do it." Her voice was a hiss now. "Their life," she gestured towards the other ninjas in the tent. ", Are much more important to me. Yours doesn't mean a thing to me." She threw him towards a place that was empty. He groaned and stared at her with a look of blatant disbelief.

"Why?" She glared at him with all the hatred she could muster up, and that was quite a lot.

"You ruined the lives of my best friend and team mate." She spit on the ground next to him. "You deserve to die." She turned around and started healing the other ninjas while the elder drifted into an eternal sleep.

When the morning came, she knew that her chakra reserve was almost empty. Luckily most of the other medics had recovered their chakra and was now helping to heal the injured. Suddenly two ANBU entered the tent. They went straight towards her, grabbed her arm and lifted her up from the ground. She wobbled slightly from exhaustion, but was able to stand without her legs giving away. She looked at the ANBU with an uncertain look.

"What are you doing?" They looked at her and started dragging her out of the tent.

"You are accused for murdering and elder and giving away information to the enemy."

----

_The third chapter is done xD I'm sorry for taking so long, but I've had so much to do. Anyways I hope you enjoy it ^^ Oh, and if the first line repeats again, I'm really sorry about that… Could someone tell me how to fix it? Please review and help me improve my writing. ^^_

_I do not own Naruto or the characters in it…… though I really wish I did… *sigh* _


	4. Chapter 4

"**You are accused for murdering ****an elder and giving away information to the enemy." **

----

The room was white. She looked around, but there wasn't anything she could look at. The white walls were blinding her, so she looked down into her lap and studied her hands. They were bloody and dirty, since she hadn't been allowed to wash herself after healing ninjas all night. Her hands were bound together by a chakra suppressant rope and she could fell it slowly sucking her chakra out of her. She felt faint and closed her eyes for a moment to control the sudden rush of dizziness that momentarily struck her. She heard a door slowly open and she opened her eyes in response. Ibiki Morino walked through the open door and into the room. He held a folder in his hand and in the other he held a thing that looked like a small box. But she knew better. It was a torturing tool used together with the ropes that was tightly bound around her wrists. She looked up into his eyes and scratched herself on the chin.

"Ibiki san, it's nice to see you again." She smiled, but this time it was a false one. She settled into her emotionless mask and softly met his hard gaze,

"Sakura san" He greeted and nodded at her. She didn't do anything in response. He flipped the folder open as if he was going to read into it, but she knew he had already memorized its entire content. She sighed as she sunk a little deeper into the wooden chair she sat on and waited.

He looked through it slowly and flicked each page loudly when he turned it. The sound was a big contrast to the silence in the room. She turned to one of the walls and her face softened slightly.

"Naruto is watching this, right?" She nodded towards the white wall and then back at Ibiki. He nodded slowly.

"He asked if he could and is accompanied by Ino, Kiba, Hinata and Lee." She nodded and smiled slightly. They were worried about her. He looked up from the folder again.

"I'm going to ask you this once, and then the next time is going to be worse." He briefly waved the box towards her. "You do know what this is, right?" She nodded slowly, while her brain processed the information she just had got.

"It works with the ropes around my wrists." She lifted her arms to show them. "And if you want to, it will send a strong electrical impulse through my body." She could almost hear Naruto gasp, and her face became a cold mask yet again.

"Did you betray the village by giving away information to our enemies?" His hard voice echoed in the room and she felt him waiting for the answer. She sighed and smiled slightly at him

"Yes, I did." His eyes widened slightly in surprise and he almost dropped the folder. He then collected himself and looked at her again.

"How much information did you give away?" She felt the blood and dirt on her hands, and wondered how much of it were on her face right now. She closed her eyes and relaxed in the chair.

"I merely gave away the fact that the elders betrayed Konoha a long time ago." Ibiki didn't look surprised but the look in his eyes hardened, and he tightened his grip around the box.

"That is S-class information and forbidden to give out to anyone. You aren't even supposed to look at it." She nodded and looked at the small box in his hand. His anger could be felt, when small shocks slid through her body. He glanced at the folder and flipped through to the last page. He looked into her eyes and opened his mouth slowly.

"Did you kill the elder Homura Mitokado?" She smiled sadly and met his gaze. It was serene, but at the same time cruel.

"Yes, I did kill the traitor you called an elder." Then Ibiki Morino did something an interrogator should never do; He lost control of his emotions.

---

The stone floor in the cell was hard and cold, but she didn't really care. A moment ago she had been the Hokage's apprentice and respected by everyone in the village. Now she was Sakura Haruno, a civilian stripped of her ninja status and a traitor that was always going to be hated. She sighed and put her head between her knees and breathed slowly. Ibiki was one of her best friends. In a way he knew what she was going through and supported her in his own way. If things hadn't turned out like this she probably would've become an interrogator together with him. Now she was burdened by being the first person that, in a long time had been able to make Ibiki Morino cry. She could feel the tears well up and she didn't even try to stop them. She was stuck in this situation with a lot of feelings she would like to forget. The sudden sound of footsteps made her push back the tears and dry her cheeks. She looked up and saw four people standing in front of her. Ino, Kiba, Hinata, Lee and Naruto looked at her with pity. She stood up carefully and met their gazes. They didn't say anything, they just looked. She walked towards them and rested her forehead against the cool metal bar that separated them.

"What do you want?" She didn't even try to hide the cold and harsh tone in her voice as she spoke to them. She could feel their hostile looks and the anger boiled inside her.

"Why, Sakura Chan?" Naruto's voice cracked with sadness and he was on the verge of tears. He swallowed and his sad gaze rested on the metal bar above her. Her face softened into a warm and loving look as she looked at him. Her eyes were sad, and yet they were filled by so many other emotions. The others looked surprised at her, not used to the emotions she was showing. She reached out through the metal bars and softly touched Naruto's cheek. She felt the tears threaten to surface again, but she pushed them back again. She didn't want to show him weakness right now. Her fingers caressed the edge of his chin, and then she pulled them back into her cage.

"I don't know what they told you…" She turned towards the three others, who were staring at her." But I hope you will believe me when I say this…" She closed her eyes and put her hand on the metal bar.

"I will always love you." They flinched when they heard her words and tears started running down their cheeks. A voice called out through the corridor.

"You have to leave now! There are people coming!" Sakura's face turned hard again as she turned her back towards them and walked away in the cell.

"Go." She whispered, but the hard tone was still there. They nodded and silently ran away from the cell, while she felt the reality swirl around her. Three ANBU came and opened the door to her cage. She turned around and looked at them. One of them grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the cell. She didn't even try to resist.

"It's time for you to leave." She closed her eyes and let them take her away.

---

The crowd looked at her as she walked down the path with her hands bound behind her back. She was dressed in a white dress and her hair was combed and put up in a tiny ponytail. She walked slowly, as if she tried to avoid the destiny that awaited her but she still had her head lifted high and proud. She reached the small podium at the end of the path, and climbed up on it. On it were three ninjas; the hokage, Tsunade, the interrogator, Ibiki, and her former sensei, Kakashi. All of them looked at her with sad and almost pitiful looks. She met their eyes and looked at them with one single emotion, Sadness. Tsunade stepped forward.

"Sakura Haruno, you have been charged for murdering one of the elders and betraying the village by giving out information to the enemy. Do you have anything to say in your defence?" Sakura looked at her with an emotionless look.

"It doesn't matter what I say, I'll be executed anyway." Tsunade flinched and looked down into the ground. Sakura turned towards Ibiki.

"I confess. I was the one who killed the elder and I did give out information to the enemy." Surprised murmurs could be heard from the crowd. Ibiki looked suspiciously at her.

"Is that the truth?" She mustered up the strength to give him a small smile.

"I would be disposed of later anyways." She glanced at the crowd. "This way is better" Kakashi opened his mouth, but was stopped by Tsunade's hand.

"Very well, you confessed." Tsunade's voice was heard clearly in the stunning silence. She looked at Sakura with a cold gaze. "Do you have any last words?" Sakura nodded and turned towards the boy in the audience she was feeling most sorry for right now.

"Naruto…" Her clear voice rang through the thick silence of the crowd, watching her with cold eyes. He lifted his head and looked at her. She smiled a sad smile.

"We chose different paths. You would be loyal to the village, even if it had done something terrible." She glanced on Kakashi, and looked back at Naruto again. "But I'm different. I chose the path I thought was the best. It was as you said at the chuunin exam, 'I don't go back on my word, that's my ninja way'." She smiled softly as memories flooded her brain. Those days would never come back but he would treasure them forever. "I wish that you become the Hokage someday, and can change the village. I hope you understand my actions, because if you don't they will all be in vain." She met his gaze and saw tears running down his cheeks. She smiled sadly and let a single tear roll down her cheek, as in response to his tears. She closed her eyes and turned around.

"Naruto…. Thank you."

---

Ibiki held the kunai in a tight grip and looked at Tsunade.

"Are you sure about this?" Tsunade nodded, as tears overflowed from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. Kakashi's visible eye was filled with tears as well, even though they weren't overflowing yet. Tsunade raised her hand and looked at Sakura. Sakura smiled at her and nodded. Tsunade nodded in response and opened her mouth:

"Let the execution of Haruno Sakura begin!" Ibiki tightened his grip and rushed forward, towards the defenceless girl in front of him. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I wish things were different…" She whispered and saw his eyes shine with sadness.

The blood splattered on the ground as the kunai pierced flesh.

---

_Another chapter is done ^^ the next one will be the last, so please read and review._

_I'm really happy for the reviews I've got :P I have 6 of them!!!!! I'm so happy xD_

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter… and I don't own Naruto… _


	5. Chapter 5

"**Let the execution of Haruno Sakura begin!" Ibiki tightened his grip and rushed forward, towards the defenceless girl in front of him. She opened her eyes and looked at him.**

"**Thank you…"**

**The blood splattered on the ground as the kunai pierced flesh**.

**---**

She stared at the person standing in front of her, pushing a kunai into Ibiki's arm. _His_ blue black hair was fuzzy and _his_ eyes blazed red. She tried to say something but the words just choked up in her throat. She felt the tears starting to slip through her tight grip on her emotions, but she didn't care.

"What are you doing?" Her voice was heard clearly in the stunned silence from the crowd. _He_ turned around and met her gaze, _his _red eyes blazing. She tried to close her eyes and negate the effect of the jutsu _he_ was putting over her, but she was too late. She collapsed, but _he_ caught her and threw her over one of _his_ shoulders. _He_ turned towards the crowd and looked directly at Naruto. _His_ eyes narrowed slightly as _he_ opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm disappointed in you Naruto." _His_ cold gaze made Naruto look into the ground. "Weren't you the one who said your companions were the most important thing?" Naruto flinched and met _his_ gaze.

"It's not like that! She betrayed the village; I couldn't do anything to stop her from getting executed!" _His_ eyes narrowed in anger.

"What about me then?" Naruto looked confused. His brain was working hard to interpret everything that was happening.

"What are you talking about?"

"I betrayed this village as well. I went looking for power, but you kept going after me to get me back." Naruto nodded, slowly grasping the concept of what _he_ was telling him." But you didn't even try to save the one who helped you through everything. The one who stayed, and whom both you and I abandoned." Naruto looked down into the ground. _His_ eyes turned to Kakashi, but _he_ didn't even say anything to him. _He_ merely snorted and glared at him. "I'm disappointed in you, Naruto!" Naruto looked up, but _he_ was gone. Both Tsunade and Kakashi stared at the place where their student had stood. The one who chose the one path with most suffering because no one else wanted to, the one who fought for the things she thought was right. That person was now gone forever, pushed away by everyone she loved. And everyone who stood looking at that place realised that. They would never be able to see her smile again, or get healed by her. They looked at each other and realised that they felt ashamed. Every single person in the village had loved Sakura, yet no one had done a thing to stop the execution. No one except the other betrayer, who had realised what true friendship meant.

The only one who had stood up for her was Uchiha Sasuke.

**---**

The wind was blowing softly over the water, softly caressing her cheek. Her black hair was blowing softly, and her brown eyes were staring out over the lake. It was autumn and the leaves was starting to turn yellow and fall of the trees. She liked to sit and watch the lake. It reminded her of her birthplace, the place that now wanted to kill her, Konoha. She had woken up at an inn in the stone country, and had no idea how she got there. Then she had travelled to this small little country in the mist, knowing that this was a country Konoha didn't have an alliance with. She was deeply hurt by them and was living on a day to day basis. The wounds she had wasn't something she could heal, only time could. But she really doubted that as well. A single leaf fell onto the surface of the lake and made ripples go through the water, disrupting the smooth water surface. The leaf floated on the water, not sinking but not able to fly away either. She could hear footsteps in the distance and tensed a bit.

"Yuki san, we need your help!" Sakura heard her fake name being called, turned around and saw an older woman waving at her. She relaxed and smiled, rising from the spot she was sitting on.

"What is the matter, Naomi san?" Naomi looked worried and stressed. She looked at Sakura with a desperate gaze.

"My daughter collapsed, and I don't know what to do!" Sakura nodded slowly. She had taken on the role as the village's healer and now she had to fulfil it.

"I'll have a look at her. " She walked past Naomi and walked towards the village.

**---**

The two ninja walking through the village was attracting a lot of attention. The biggest attraction for the villagers was the big white dog that followed them. One of them had red arrows on his cheeks and was dressed in a fishnet shirt and a black jacket. He was also wearing black pants and a pair of black ninja shoes. He was walking next to the dog and was softly stroking its fur. The other ninja was wearing a black jumpsuit with some orange streaks on the shoulders. He had yellow, fuzzy hair and he had something that resembled whisker tattoos on his cheeks. They both walked in silence until the yellow haired boy spoke:

"Kiba, are you sure Sakura is here?" Kiba looked at him and sighed. Sometimes that boy could be very irritating.

"Yes, Naruto. Both I and Akamaru can smell her here. We just have to look a little more." Naruto sighed and looked around. There weren't a lot of people here since it was in the middle of the day. He could see two people walking towards them, but he didn't pay much attention to them. After all, none of them had pink hair or green eyes. Akamaru whined quietly and Kiba stopped abruptly. Naruto stopped as well, but stared at him surprised.

"What's wrong Kiba?" Kiba didn't answer, since he was staring at the two people that were almost in front of them now. Naruto looked at them as well and couldn't help but stare at the black haired one. Her facial expression was almost exactly the same as the one Sakura had at the hospital. She looked up and saw them both staring at her. She stopped and met their gazes.

"Can I help you with something?" Her soft voice was hardened by the stress in her voice. Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but Kiba got there before him.

"We have come to take you back home, Sakura." Sakura looked at them with a confused look, careful not to show them her real feelings.

"Why are you calling me Sakura? My name is Yuki." Naomi looked worriedly at her.

"Yuki san, are you ok?" Sakura smiled at her and nodded.

"Why don't you go home before me and I'll be with you in a moment." Naomi nodded and started to walk, looking at the two boys with suspicious eyes. They ignored her, only staring at Sakura.

"You can change your hair from pink to brown and change the colour of your eyes but you can't change your smell!" Sakura looked at him with a surprised look.

"Pink hair?" She put her hand down into her plain, brown shirt and pulled out a necklace." I bought this from a pink haired girl who said she needed money. I did like it and she sounded so desperate, so I took her offer. She was heading towards the mountains in the south." Sakura felt a stab in her heart when she saw Naruto's facial expression. He was looking at her with a mixture of surprise and hurt. She could understand him though. The necklace was the present she got from him on her 14th birthday. It was a silver leaf curling a bit in the edges. It was her most precious thing and it hurt her so much to see him like this. But she knew it was necessary. She could never return to the place she once called home. The secrets that resided there were too big for her to handle. She was happier this way, or would be when she got the chance to heal the big gashes in her soul. Kiba looked suspiciously at her and sniffed in the air. He then looked at Akamaru, who whimpered softly and it looked like he was shaking his head. Kiba turned towards Naruto, who still was staring at the girl in front of him. Kiba put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

"It's not her, Naruto." Naruto looked down into the ground and nodded.

"Thank you for your help." Sakura nodded and walked past them. She could feel the tears burning behind her eyelids, but she pushed them back.

'_We chose different paths, Naruto. You chose the one you though was right and I chose mine. Unfortunately, those paths will never cross each other again."_ She could feel a tear fall down her cheek, and she noticed that their presences were gone. She let the rest of the tears fall as she closed her eyes. She thought about Sasuke, and it warmed her heart when she thought about how he saved her. She looked around at the houses, with tears still falling. This was her home now. She looked up at the blue sky and smiled softly.

"Good bye, Naruto." 

**The End**

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_Now the fifth and final chapter is done ^^ I really appreciate all the reviews I've got, and I hope you'll read any future work I do. Special thanks to IMaCHERRYBlossom, whose reviews made me want to continue writing.__ It really makes me happy when people appreciate the things I write XD I hope you enjoyed it ^^ …And I don't own Naruto… _


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